The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-13
WIZARD WOOLCoT.
Some Strange Witch Stories from an
Old Dutch Settlement.

bia county, n. Y, are adjoining counties
They are divided only by the State line, and
that State line separates two distinct classes
of people. The early settlers of the Massa-
chusetts county =-ere law abiding and God
fearing Yankees. The pioneers of Hills
dale Taghkanie and Copake, in Columbia
county, n Y. were from Holland 1t
would be bold man who can go among
these Dutch descendants to-day and speak
unexpectedly of ghosts or witches. This
is especially true of district in Western
Copake known as the launches Barracks.
The inhabitants of this section are honest
and hospitable, but very superstitious.
There are farmers who would under no
circumstances plant potatoes or corn in the
new moon, because such crops would run to
vines and stalks and not to potatoes and
corn ears, nor will they butcher their hogs
in the new moon because the meat when
boiled in the pot will, they say, shrink and
become tasteless. And they believe strong
" in the efficacy of scarecrows.
OLD WIZARD wooLcCT.
Among the old people of Copake there is
a firm belief in the occult power and odlc
force Of an old man named Francis Wool
cot. He died about sixty years ago at the
age of 90 years. He lived in a little log
house in the foothill of the Green Noun
tains in Copake on the farm of Richard
Van Dersen The latter cultivated 700 or
500 acres Francis Woolcot was tall, dark
complexioned man with sinister counten-
ance Two large front teeth discolored with
plug tobacco used to put the children of the
neighborhood in great fear, and even grown
people were very careful not to offend
him About the beginning of the present
century he had the reputation OF being a
wizard and the grand mogu and ruler of
all the witches in the neighborhood. 1t was
religiously believed that there were thir-
teen witches in that section, and that they
were all under the control and direction of
the old wizard before mentioned Old
Francis had wife and seven children, and,
although nothing could be said against the
wife and children, yet other people refused
to associate with them They We're regard
ed as uncanny, and that any one having
any thing to do with them would have bad
luck through life. Old Francis could levy
tributes of flour and meat and meal among
the old farmers of the neighborhood, and
all he had to do when his larder was
empty was to take a bag and go boldly to
his neighbors and ask for what he
wanted
MAKING THE CHILDREN DANCE.
1t is told for gospel truth that he went in
to the house of Farmer Williams one winter
gay Inc plUcher OF cider was brought up,
and all hands began to drink and make
merry. The upper part of the walls of the
old kitchen was lathed and plastered, and
the lower part for three feet above the floor
was of wood, and was generally painted
yellow with Cchre. Four or five children
were playing about the room, and old Fran
els wanted them to jump for him. The
farmers wife did not wish them to do SO.
Then old Francis let off one of his demoniac
laughs, and With ''Ha! ha! hal' and a
"Hup! hup! hupr' the little boys and girls
began to walk around the side of the
kitchen three feet from the floor on a mar
row rail not more than an inch in width.
Then they would skip from chair back to
chair back like birds The chairs stood as
firmly as it bolted to the floor.
The children seemed to be under a
sort of mesmerie influence. After
this had gone on for three or four minutes
old Francis grunted out; Pretty spry
Youngsters" and said, go to your seats
now" Farmer Williams and his wife and
his descendants to this day believe that
Woolcot was in league with the devil. On
Richard Van DeuSenS farm there were on
several occasions a dozen team of horses or
oxen drawing pillow. The workmen would
see old Francis coming, and they would say
10 themselves: "Now we will have to con-
tend with the devil" Old Francis would
come into the field and laugh his fearful
''Ha ha! hal hup! hupr' and instantly every
team would stand stock still. Blows and
coaxing and urging could not move them
from their tracks. Old Francis would say,
sarcastically: "Oh, you are a smart set of
men. You don't know how to drive pillow
team" On one occasion it is said that he
kept eight or nine teams stock still for two
hours. Then he made an indescribable mo-
ton with his old apple tree cane, and at
once the horses and oxen started along as
tractable as could be, and the old wizard
left the field apparently disguised at the
inability of the farm-hauds to continue plow-
ing
THE NIGHT-RIDERs.
In one of the large paBture-felds belong
ing to old Farmer Richard Van Deusen
there was little dense grove of ash and
chestnut trees that was said to be the tryst-
ing place of the thirteen witches and old
COZ wizard, Francis Woolcot. In the old
me nv the man was wont to summon the
witches together. Each one was directed by
him to steal and bring bundle of oat straw.
These old Francis would proceed to turn in
to black horses. They could only be trans
formed into horses after dark, and they
could go at any rate of speed and could not
be tired out But they must return to the
trystlng place before midnight for after
that time the horses were again bundles of
straw. They could not cross a stream of
water, out they could galop like the WIND
along the stream until they came to the
source. They would go around this, and
the rider could then go where they liked.
If they wished to do so they could bewitch
horses, cattle ard hogs
Often 1t Is said the honest farmers of that
section would find the names and tails of
their horses in the stable tied up in witch
knots that it would take hours of hard work
10 dlSentangle. Sometimes the cows were be-
wlfched by these terrible night-riders, and
the next morning when they were MIXED
the milk would DO the color of blood and
as thin as vinegar.
COWS BEWITCHED.
One old farmer, named Raught, found his
COWS walking about the barnyard on their
hlnd legs and making strange and unearthly
noises. What to do he knew not Finally
he saw old Francs leaning on rail fence,
at little distance, laughing in that uncanny
manner that the simple country folks feared
SO much. Old Francis said he wanted Two
or three pieces of salt pork. Raught told him
to go in the house and Mrs. Raught would
give him what he wanted, Then old Fran
CHS yelled at the COWS, and in second they
acted as orderly and quietly as decent cows
should
There are many traditions to the effect
that Woolcot's night-riders have been seen
Just before midnight riding their black and
painting steeds to the little grove. Shortly
after midnight the witches in their own
proper persons could be seen going their re-
SDpCtiVp yyaye with "a lut.6la of Oat straw